The Necklace
by Anna Jamisen
Summary: It's Michelle's birthday, and Tony has a surprise. Preseason 3. Pertains to the necklace Michelle wears in Season 3. ONE SHOT


The rain fell heavily outside the apartment, making Tony thankful that he was inside. He stirred the tomato sauce and gave it a taste before adding a pinch more pepper. He rinsed his hands off and dried them on his apron after stirring the boiling pot of pasta. It was Michelle's birthday, and he had an amazing evening planned for the two of them. It had taken him two hours to wrap her gift, but he finally got it right and left it delicately on the end table next to the sofa. He had set the table carefully, pulling out the unused tablecloth he had invested in when he moved out of his parent's house and readjusting it until he was sure that the fabric was meant for a square surface. The circular table was small, but there was plenty of room for the two of them, and he set up a small votive candle in the center next to the vase of roses that he knew they would need to move before dinner. It was cheesy and he knew it, but it would make Michelle smile.

They had been together almost five months, although it only felt like a week. Tony was afraid he was falling in love. Although he hadn't yet told Michelle, it frightened him to think of the unintentional control this woman had over him. He had never felt like this before, which made him scared and excited at the same time. When she smiled his knees went weak and when she laughed he felt as though he didn't need anything but her.

He heard the doorbell ring and quickly rushed to the door. He opened it to reveal a beautiful Michelle standing before him. She wore a deep blue dress that fell to her knees, held up by spaghetti straps. Her hair was held back loosely, with curls falling in her face.

"Hi, Tony." she greeted. He snapped himself out of his daze and looked into her eyes.

"You look incredible." he complimented. He stepped aside, letting her through the door. "Come on in."

"Thanks." she muttered softly, stepping past Tony into his apartment. He took her coat from her arms and laid it gently over the chair by the door. He walked over and kissed his girlfriend gently on the lips.

"Happy Birthday Sweetheart." he congratulated. She looked shocked. Michelle smiled and kissed him again, this time lingering for a moment.

"How did you know?" she asked. He laughed and grabbed her hand.

"It's on your application for employment. I hired you, remember?" he questioned coyly.

"Shoot. I should have lied." she admitted, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He put his hands on her thin waist and looked down at her. "Now you know what an old woman I am." she teased.

"Darling, if thirty two is old, I'd hate to think of what I Am." he joked, pulling away to stop the pasta from boiling over. Michelle sauntered over to the table, noticing immediately the tablecloth and roses.

"This is beautiful, Tony." she called to him. He came around the corner back into the make-shift dining-room. He saw her smiling at the roses and silently congratulated himself for being fluffy. "You, on the other hand…" she mocked, gesturing to the apron. He chuckled with embarrassment and untied the stings around his back. He walked up to her and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Am I a terrible boyfriend?" he asked her, nodding at the table. She smiled, looking at the roses.

"You will be if you sing." she teased. He smiled and watched her move around the table to the sofa. The dress hugged all the right parts of her, and he lazily watched her. She noticed and flipped around seductively. "Your food's going to burn."

"Shit!" he whispered, running back to the kitchen and turning down the heat. He pulled the chicken out of the oven while rinsing the pasta. "Oh, make yourself at home."

Michelle laughed. This man always knew what to do to make her smile, and so far he had never made her cry. She settled on the couch, noticing how much the apartment reminded her of Tony. It was masculine but homey, and the entire place smelled like him. She noticed many things she never had before every time she came over.

This time it was his DVD's. She browsed through the titles. _Scarface, The Godfather, Star Wars, _he had all the classics, and some newer ones, _Black Hawk Down, Saving Private Ryan. _And wedged between _Friday the 13th_ and _Rocky_ was _Sleepless in Seattle._

'Oh, Tony.' she thought. 'That's how you always know what to say. You're a romantic.' She smiled. That seemed like Tony. She decided not to tease him about it, and instead headed to the kitchen door. "Can I help you with anything?" she asked.

"Nope." he replied, scooping up some spaghetti out of the pot and onto a plate before turning to her. "But you can pour yourself a glass of wine, if you'd like." he suggested, pointing to the opened bottle of Chardonnay. She picked up the bottle and poured two glasses, carrying them back to the table.

Michelle moved the tall vase of roses, so Tony wouldn't need to, and set them on the end table, at which point she noticed a small box wrapped in red paper. She looked at it curiously for a moment before turning away from the sofa as Tony walked through the door with two plates. He placed them down on the table before puling out the chair for Michelle. She gratefully sat and allowed him to push her chair in before sitting himself down across from her.

"So," he began, lifting his glass. Michelle lifted hers and smirked.

"Don't you dare." she warned, raising one eyebrow.

"Okay, how about… to us?" he toasted.

"Okay. To us." Michelle touched Tony's glass to hers before taking a sip. They ate peacefully, occasionally exchanging glances or smiles, enjoying each other's company. When they were finished she thanked him. "That was delicious Tony. Thank you."

"Of course," he replied, picking both plates up and carrying them to the kitchen. "I'll be right back." Michelle shuddered. 'I'll kill him if he made a cake.' she thought to herself. However, when Tony walked back in, all she could do was smile.

He carried in his arms a small kitten. Michelle laughed. "What is that?" she asked.

"This…" he began, placing the cat on the table. "…is a cat. Your cat, to be more specific. Now, I know your building doesn't allow pets, and that you have always wanted a cat, so, I figured we could keep her here, and then you could come and see her whenever you wanted." he explained while Michelle played with the kitten.

"Tony!" she cried, overjoyed at the small and playful kitten on the table. "Is this a ploy to get me to come over more often?" she asked sarcastically. Tony chuckled uncomfortably and pet the cat's head.

"Maybe. Let's go sit on the couch" he suggested. She agreed and picked up the cat, carrying her to the couch and cradling her in her lap. Tony grabbed the small red box and handed it to Michelle, lifting the cat and placing her on the couch between them.

"What is this? You already got me a cat!" she asked.

"It's a mouse." Michelle's eyes grew wide and Tony laughed. "Open it!" he called. Michelle carefully pulled the paper off to reveal a small, velvet jewelry box. She carefully opened it, only to find that it was empty. She wondered what kind of game he was playing and looked up at her boyfriend, who simply looked at he kitten. "Did I forget to put her collar on?" he asked. Michelle looked down at the kitten's neck to see a silver chain. Tony unhooked it from the cat and handed it to Michelle.

On the end of the chain sat a purple tinted, heart-shaped stone. Michelle gestured to the necklace. "Will you?" Tony nodded and took the necklace from her, pulling it around her neck as she turned. Before fastening it, he dropped a small object onto the chain.

It was a key.

"What…" she questioned, feeling the key. "What do I do with this?" she asked, her eyes penetrating Tony's gaze.

"Whatever you want." he replied. "It's a key to my apartment."

"Are you…" she stopped, searching for an explanation.

"Michelle, you mean so much to me. You know that. I've never…" he paused, letting out a bit of a sigh. "I've never felt like this before. That's for you. So you can come by whenever you'd like. I don't ever want push you, but that's also for if and when the time comes when you might like to move in together? It's up to you, Michelle. Whatever you would like to do with it."

"It's a key to your heart." she suggested. Tony smiled and leaned in to Michelle, kissing her softly. She kissed him back, one hand behind his head, the other on the necklace. She slowly pulled away. "You know you have the key to mine." He smiled and kissed her again, this time more passionately. She wrapped both of her arms around his shoulders and leaned back on the couch, taking him with her. The cat quickly jumped off for fear of being squished.

Tony laid Michelle back on the couch, his hands roaming her back, his mouth exploring hers. He could spend forever in her arms. She ran her hands underneath the collar of his shirt and gently massaged his neck. He pulled his lips off hers, moving to work on her neck. He sucked at her flesh tenderly, nipping every once in while with his teeth. His hands still ran over her back, all the way to her waist and up again. Michelle closed her eyes and allowed her senses take over. This man had just professed his deep care for her by opening all he had to her. She wanted to allow him the same thing.

Tony pulled away reluctantly as he reached her collarbone and looked at her seriously. "Are we ready for this?" he asked, keeping his hands on her. Michelle smiled.

"Absolutely. Are you doubting it?" she asked, the concern on her face growing.

"No. But if we do this, it'll mean this is real. It'll mean you're really here with me, that all of this is actually happening. And I'm afraid." he admitted.

"Of what?" she asked softly, wanting to understand his concern.

"That when I wake up in the morning this will all have been a dream." he confessed. "And I care about you too much to lose you."

She smiled at him. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm ready for this if you are."

Tony nodded. He didn't need any more assurance. He stood and lifted her up in his arms, carrying her down to the bedroom. He laid her on the bed, perching himself by her feet. He pulled her heels off easily and rubbed the soles of her feet. She watched him pull off his own shoes and socks before crawling up and lying next to her. He brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her gently, reaching around and tugging on her zipper. She allowed him to pull the zipper down to her bottom, slipping the dress easily off her shoulders. He pulled it down her body and she kicked it to the floor.

He went to work on his own clothes, pulling his shirt over his head and throwing it to the other side of his room. Pretty soon he couldn't take it anymore and kissed her soundly, covering her body with his. She ran her fingernails down his bare skin, kissing him back with the same amount of force. She pulled his pants down, and he chuckled, helping her undo them and removing them completely. He laid over her and caressed her face, memorizing everything about that moment. She smiled and nodded, telling him she was ready. He kissed her yet again, unclipping her bra and pulling it off. She brought her hands down to the elastic band holding his boxers on. He helped her pull them off. She paused for a moment, admiring his arousal. He reached down the front of her panties and found her soft spot, massaging it gently. She gasped, gripping his hand gently.

He was a patient lover, waiting for her to reach her first climax before he would continue. He kept his eyes on her face watching her throw her head back and forth. Her breathing became erratic and he knew she was close. He pushed her over the edge, letting her ride out her orgasm before pulling off the last piece of clothing that separated them. He pulled her knees apart, settling himself between her legs. She moaned and pushed her hands through his hair. "Tony," she whispered. "I love you."

Tony pushed himself deep inside Michelle for the first time, feeling her surround him. He groaned but held himself still, letting her adjust. She moved her hip a little before yelling. "Tony! Please!" she cried. Tony was happy to comply, and began moving. Michelle cried out with every thrust.

"Baby, Michelle, keep your eyes on me. Don't close them." Michelle nodded and kept her eyes on Tony, losing her control bit by bit. His hands cupped her thighs, holding her still to the bed. She cried louder and louder, but never looked away. "I love you Michelle, I love you."

They continued making love, it only taking her several minutes to reach her breaking point. She dug her nails into his back, and he understood. He pushed himself in harder, letting go of his last ounce of control. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him in deeper. She cried out and closed her eyes. "Open your eyes." he ordered. "Mi Michelle."

With that Michelle lost control and came, pushing her hips up against his. He continued to move as she came, her entire body twitching. He brought her pleasure as high as it could go before letting himself release. He came hard inside her, and collapsed on top of her body. Her breathing evened and she kissed Tony on the cheek.

"I love you Tony." she whispered. "I love you."

He kissed her one more time and laid his head on her chest. "I love you Michelle. Very much." They drifted off to sleep together, arms wrapped around one another. "Happy Birthday."


End file.
